New Student Trips

Every year we offer new students an opportunity to launch their Lewis & Clark collegiate career in a fun and adventurous way. There are two types of trips: Outdoor Adventures and Portland-Based programs. The Pacific Northwest has a lot to offer and we love sharing what we are lucky enough to call our backyard! New Student Trips (NSTs) happen just before the college-wide New Student Orientation (NSO).

Click here to read about this year’s offerings!

New Student Trips are designed to help students transition to life at Lewis & Clark. Students have a great opportunity to form a core group of friends before they head into the fast-paced experience of moving into the residence halls and starting classes. First and foremost, we want participants to have FUN on these trips! We also incorporate programs designed to enhance decision making skills, inspire group communication, and spark discussions on issues facing college students. These trips seek to build community, increase an individual’s confidence, and give participants an appreciation for people with diverse backgrounds. Time has shown that these trips truly enrich students’ Lewis & Clark experience starting from day one! Plus, the usual excitement and uncertainty associated with arriving at a new place is much easier to manage after spending some time with a group of new students who may become your best friends!

College Outdoors is committed to promoting equity, inclusion, and accessibility in outdoor recreation. Our goal is to reduce barriers and have all students feel welcome, valued, supported, and seen in the outdoors. We value time outdoors, as it has been shown to be relaxing, empowering, build community, and improve mental health and well-being.

If you have any questions about accessibility or accommodations on trips, please call us at 503-768-7116. We love to talk about the trips, and we’re happy to talk through what is involved in each trip and which option would be best for you. You can also read the detailed trip descriptions available on each trip’s page.

We’re excited to offer a Pride OUTside NST, exclusively students who identify as gender non-conforming, transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, intersex, and gender diverse. Join us!

Scholarships for Outdoor Adventure New Student Trips are available to members of groups historically underrepresented in outdoor recreation, apply here.

Every trip we offer is suitable for people with no background with the activities, whether that is artistic expression or outdoor adventure. We provide all the outdoor equipment and clothing, for free, if you don’t already own it. All of our trips are led by highly trained and experienced outdoor leaders, who are current and former L&C students.

Check out our trip list for a better idea of what to expect on each trip. Our backpacking trips are the most physically demanding, and while no prior experience is needed, backpacking necessitates good physical fitness.

Trip costs vary based on the length of the trip and the type of activities. The listed price reflects the full cost of the trip before financial aid. If you submitted a FAFSA, you may qualify for a financial aid scholarship. A limited pool of scholarship funds are provided by ASB (the student government), and these are awarded to high-need students on a sliding scale. To be considered, simply check the box regarding financial aid when you fill out the New Student Trip Reservation Form.

Additional scholarships for Outdoor Adventure trips are available to members of underrepresented groups, apply here.

Your financial award will be included in the email with your trip placement, and a link to pay online. Once you receive your trip placement and financial aid award, you are, of course, welcome to decline.

1. Check out our 2024 Trip Descriptions

2. Submit a Registration Lottery Application in your L&C Portal:

   The Registration Lottery will be open 9:00am Pacific Time, Wednesday, May 15th through 9:00am Wednesday, June 5th, 2024. Space is limited, and some trip choices are very popular, so trip assignments are based on a lottery system that takes into account your trip preferences.
   

   After Wednesday, June 5th, registrations and placements are first-come, first-served, based on remaining availability. Registration (including waitlist registration) closes on Monday, July 15th, 2024.

3. Fill out the Health and Diet Questionnaire

   Please note: your registration application is not considered complete until you have filled out the New Student Trip specific health and diet questionnaire in your L&C Portal. For this reason, the questionnaire is due within 24 hours of submitting your trip registration to hold your place. 
4. If you register during the May 15 - June 5 lottery, you will receive an email with your trip placement and a link to pay by Thursday, June 20th. For later registrations, you’ll receive an email with your trip placement and link to pay within 2 weeks after submitting your application. If you indicate on your trip registration that you would like financial aid, and your FAFSA  indicates that you are high need, your trip cost will be reduced by the scholarship amount that you qualified for. Once you are offered a trip placement, you can always decline the offer if something has come up on your schedule.

May 15th (Wednesday): The Registration Lottery for New Student Trips (NSTs) opens at 9 AM Pacific Time in your L&C Portal. 

To complete your lottery registration, you must also submit your Health & Diet Questionnaire. Space is limited, and some trip choices are very popular, so trip assignments are based on a lottery system that takes into account your trip preferences. 

We will send you an email confirming that we have received your lottery registration upon submission. Payment is not due at the time of registration — payment info will be provided when you receive your trip placement.

June 5th (Wednesday): Lottery system for trip placement closes at 9:00 am Pacific Time.

After this date, registrations and placements are first-come, first-served, based on remaining availability.

By June 20th (or within 2 weeks of receiving your application, if you apply after June 5th): Trip placement assignments go out

For those who register during the initial May 15th - June 5th Lottery window, we will send you an email about your trip placement and financial aid award by June 20th, 2024. If you register after June 5th, we will send you an email about your trip placement (if space is available), and financial aid award, within 2 weeks.

We do not require payment until after you have been placed on a trip and know your financial aid situation. After this point, please refer to your individual trip pages for specific trip information.

June 25th (Tuesday): Trip Balance Due
Unless you are waiting to be notified about your trip placement and financial aid award, the balance of your trip is due by 5pm on Tuesday, June 25th. For later registrations, your due date will be sent with your trip assignment. Online payments can be submitted using the link that will be provided to you in your trip placement email. Payments are also accepted as paper checks, by mail.

June 25th is also the last day to cancel without financial penalty (see below).

June 25th (Tuesday): Required Forms Due
Your individual New Student Trip page will have links to the forms that are required by this date. Those forms are 1) your travel information, 2) the release of liability, and, for Outdoor Adventures, 3) the equipment you would like to borrow. There is no additional charge for any equipment you would like to borrow for your New Student Trip. If you do not have travel plans finalized prior to June 25th due to extenuating circumstances, please contact us; we can extend the deadline upon request.

Aug. 1st (Thursday): Trip registration closes at 11:59pm Pacific Time (midnight). No registrations can be accepted after this time, including waitlist registration, transfer students, nor late admits.

Aug. 20th - 22nd (Tuesday - Thursday): Trips begin
Trips begin on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, Aug. 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 2024. Visit the individual New Student Trip page to see the start date for each trip, and visit the Pre & Post Trip Logistics page for more info about arriving for your trip.

Aug. 27th (Tuesday): Trips end
All trips end on Tuesday, August 27th and students on off-campus trips will be able to move into their residence hall that day (one day prior to normal move-in). New Student Orientation begins on Wednesday, Aug. 28th. Visit the Pre & Post Trip Logistics page for more info about returning from your trip.

If your New Student Trip is cancelled by us: we will provide the earliest possible notice and give you a choice of a full refund or an alternate trip (if alternate trips are available).

If you cancel a reservation, the following schedule applies:

On or before June 25th: Full refund.

After June 25th: Up to $100 of the trip fee is non-refundable, and the remaining fee is only refundable if we are able to fill your spot off the waitlist. Exceptions are made for documented emergencies, illness (including a positive Covid-19 test), or other extenuating circumstances which may be evaluated individually.

College Outdoors offers a plethora of activities all year round, from day hikes on on-campus clinics, to rafting, backpacking, and cross-country skiing. We also offer a very popular Wilderness First Responder course.

If you can’t make it on one of the New Student Trips, there are other opportunities to get outdoors, including longer trips over Fall Break and Spring Break. Look for more information for our fall trips schedule once you get to campus, on this website in late August, or come by our office in Fowler 239 and say hello!